13 of Montana's most haunted places

With its history of battles, Copper Kings, vigilantes and rowdy residents, Montana has accrued a wealth of interesting stories. It's believed by some that these tales continue in the form of hauntings at some of the state's more famous historic sites. Take a look at 13 places in Montana that are reputed to be haunted.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument

Around the world, battlefields are often said to be haunted by the ghosts of the people who were killed upon them. It's believed that the brutality of war can cause spirits to be tied to the places where their bodies failed. Little Bighorn Battlefield, near Crow Agency, is no exception.

Declared a national monument in 1946 (under the name Custer Battlefield National Monument), the battlefield was the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June, 1876. Estimates of the number killed in the battle range from just over 300 to just over 400, with the majority of casualties suffered by Gen. George Armstrong Custer's 7th Cavalry Regiment. Grave markers and memorials for both sides of the battle can be seen. But according to some visitors and even park service employees, some of the soldiers killed are still fighting. Witnesses have described hearing battle cries, rifle shots and even bugles. Some even say they've seen riders on horseback and soldiers in uniform.

CASEY PAGE, Billings Gazette

Montana Territorial Prison, Deer Lodge

First housing prisoners in 1871, the Montana Territorial Prison served as Montana's correctional facility for more than a century before the current state prison was constructed outside of Deer Lodge in 1979. The old prison was known for its overcrowding and insufficient facilities. Early prison conditions made inmate life difficult, with poor food and not heating or cooling.

Several convicts and staff were killed at the prison during its use. Perhaps the most notorious episode in the prison's lifespan was its 1959 riot, which led to the Montana National Guard being dispatched after Deputy Warden Ted Rothe was slain and several guards and inmates were taken hostage. The riot ended after an anti-tank bazooka and Thompson submachine gun were fired at Cellblock 1 (shown above), allowing National Guardsmen to rush the prison. In the chaos, riot ringleader Jerry Myles killed his accomplice, Lee Smart, before committing suicide.

Buildings at the prison remain scarred by the bazooka blasts and gunfire of the riot. But some say that the prison, which is now a museum, still houses some of its inmates. It's claimed that the ghost of convicted murderer Paul Eitner, known as "Turkey Pete," still haunts Cell No. 1. Eitner spent 49 years incarcerated at the prison before dying of natural causes in 1967. Other phenomena reported include strange sounds and people being touched.

Powell County Museum

Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art, Great Falls

Built in 1896 as Great Falls High School, the Paris Gibson Square Museum of Art building was named for the founder of Great Falls. Paris Gibson was a prominent businessman who saw hydroelectric potential in the series of waterfalls on the Missouri River that the city shares its name with.

The museum opened in 1977, and is reputed to be haunted. The phenomena experienced have included the sounds of children in the halls and the ghost of a girl in the basement.

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

Boulder Hot Springs, Boulder

With an inn dating back to 1881, Boulder Hot Springs predates Montana's statehood. Its location made it a place where miners, ranchers and businessmen could all encounter one another.

Today, it's claimed that visitors can still encounter some of the hotel's former guests. The most famous of these phantoms, called Simone, is said to be the ghost of a prostitute who was murdered at the hotel. The legend has never been substantiated, but visitors and staff continue to report strange experiences. Wild temperature shifts, strange energies and, of course, the sound of children running through the halls have all been described.

Independent Record

Fort Peck Theater

When the Fort Peck Dam was built in the 1930s, the town of Fort Peck was built to temporarily house U.S. Army Corps of Engineers workers and their families. In addition to housing and other amenities, the Fort Peck Theater was builtin in 1934 to provide entertainment. The theater remains in use today, primarily for theatrical productions.

The Fort Peck Theater is said to be haunted by a male spirit, who manifests as a man wearing 1930s work clothes. Witnesses have also reported hearing the sounds of men at work when the theater is otherwise empty, and apparitions in the dressing rooms.

Billings Gazette file photo

The Pollard Hotel, Red Lodge

Said to be the first brick building in Red Lodge, the Pollard Hotel was constructed in 1893 as the Spofford Hotel. Nine years later, Thomas F. Pollard bought the building and renamed it after his family. Pollard expanded the hotel and added amenities to draw customers. The hotel continues to operate, having served some of Red Lodge's most colorful visitors.

As seems to be the case with many old hotels, the Pollard has seen its fair share of ghost stories. Guests and employees have described both male and female apparitions. One, a man dressed in 1920s clothing, is said to hang out near the bar and play pranks. A woman in a yellow dress is said to leave behind the scent of perfume. Staff have described strange noises and lights that turn on and off in the basement.

Billings Gazette

Grand Union Hotel, Fort Benton

Established by French-American fur traders Auguste and Pierre Chouteau Jr. in 1846, Fort Benton is among the oldest towns in Montana. Much of the old fort was dismantled or crumbled under decades of weather, though a portion of it still exists, considered the oldest building in Montana. But another 19th Century buildings is said to be the town's paranormal headquarters.

The Grand Union Hotel, built in 1882, has a reputation as a haunted hotel. Said to be the oldest hotel still in operation in Montana, the Grand Union is known for a number of odd happenings.

Missoulian

St. Charles Hall, Carroll College, Helena

The oldest building on the Carroll College campus in Helena is also said to be its most haunted. St. Charles Hall was named for St. Charles Borromeo, after whom the college was originally named, as Mount St. Charles College. The building, which began construction in 1909 and had its cornerstone laid by then-U.S. President William Taft, is primarily used as a dormitory today.

The most well-known activity in St. Charles Hall centers around the fourth floor men's bathroom. In 1964 a student blacked out while brushing his teeth and hit his head on a sink in the bathroom, causing hemorrhaging in his brain. He was treated at a local hospital, but died of pneumonia a few weeks later.

Shortly after, students using the same bathroom began reporting strange occurrences. Some would say that while brushing their teeth or washing their faces, they would glance at the mirror and see a young man with a head wound standing behind them. Some claimed they would turn on the faucet, only to find blood flowing out instead of water. After several years of these reports, the bathroom was locked up, as it remains today. There have been rumors of scraping sounds coming from inside the bathroom.

Other stories persist about a student jumping out of a window to commit suicide, with some students claiming to see the event replay itself on certain nights. Legends claim that several priests died in different manners in the building and still haunt the place, but none of these stories, other than the student who hit his head, have been verified.

Independent Record

Opera House Theatre, Philipsburg

There's something about old theaters that seems to fit well with ghost stories. The Philipsburg Opera House, built in 1891 as the McDonald Opera House, has its fair share of tales.

Patrons of the theater have described having their hair pulled by invisible hands and feeling inexplicable cold sensations. Some claim to have seen full-bodied apparitions in dark areas of the theater.

TOM BAUER, Missoulian

2223 Montana Ave., Billings

A tragic accident is at the center of one of Billings' most famous reported hauntings. On December 8, 1945, an airplane transporting World War II soldiers who were returning home from the war crashed in a field east of Rocky Mountain College, in the area of what is now Veterans Park.

Seventeen servicemen and two pilots died in the crash, which occurred during a blizzard, leaving only four survivors. The number killed was too much for the morgue and local funeral parlors to handle, so the bodies of thirteen of the men killed had to be stored in the refrigerated warehouse of a local grocery store, located at 2223 Montana Ave.

In the 70 years since the crash, the building has been home to various businesses, including the Spaghetti Depot and Depot Antiques. Employees and customers in the building, as well as passersby, have reported seeing at the ghost of a man in a World War II-era military uniform inside. The Asylum Distillery is housed in the building today.

Billings Gazette file photo

Many Glacier Hotel, Glacier National Park

The century-old Many Glacier Hotel in Glacier National Park is a huge hotel complex on the eastern shore of Swiftcurrent Lake, on the east side of the park. The Swiss chalet architecture matches that of Lake McDonald Lodge, the Belton Chalets and several other structures in the park.

Though several of the old hotels and lodges in Glacier are said to be haunted to some degree, Many Glacier Hotel is claimed to be the most active. Billings author and ghost hunter Karen Stevens has gathered a number of stories from the hotel. One tale involves a young boy who witnessed a woman in a red dress standing in his hotel room.

Other guests, as well as employees, have recounted stories of various apparitions that vanish into thin air and strange noises coming from Room 308.

TOM BAUER/Missoulian

Daly Mansion, Hamilton

The Daly Mansion in Hamilton was a farmhouse when Copper King Marcus Daly purchased the home and its surrounding property from Anthony Chaffin in 1886. The Daly's remodeled the home several times in different styles before settling on the Georgian-Revival style seen today.

The mansion was damaged by years of neglect after Margaret Daly's death in 1941. The state of Montana bought the property in 1986, and began the painstaking work of repairing and restoring the once-impressive home.

Ever since the state purchased the mansion, people have described strange phenomena within its walls. Smoking is not allowed in the house, but visitors and volunteers have reported the distinct scent of cigar smoke near Marcus Daly's office. A painting in the music room just can't seem to stay on the wall for long, but has no evidence of falling. Some even claim to have seen Mrs. Daly herself.

Ravalli Republic

Virginia City

Perhaps it's unsurprising that one of Montana's most famous ghost towns would have a reputation as its most haunted place. Virginia City was founded in 1863 by prospectors who called it "Varina" after the wife of Confederate president Jefferson Davis. Judge G.G. Bissell, the judge who was to sign the town's registration, objected to the name, and instead called the town "Virginia."

The town's population grew as more people learned of the nearby gold discoveries. Without sufficient law enforcement, citizens were forced to take the law into their own hands, forming the Montana Vigilantes to deal with robbers along the roads leading into town. Several of the "road agents," as they were called, were hanged by the vigilance committee.

By the 1940s, the town was in disrepair. Charles and Sue Bovey bought up much of the town for restoration and preservation. The state purchased Bovey's properties and has maintained the site ever since.

Virginia City's history, both colorful and tragic, has led to tales of ghostly encounters in the mining city's streets. One ghost, a tall man in a blue Civil War soldier's coat, is said to smoke along the town's boardwalks at night. A woman and a young girl are other specters alleged to have been seen. The activity has happened with such frequency that a Ghost Walk Tour is held nightly.